Rating: 
Summary: Awful
Review: I hate to be redundant, but I thought this book was awful. The story is about True Son, a white boy captured by the Lenni lenape indians and then reclaimed by his white family 11 years later.
There are numerous reasons why this book isn't a good choice to force middle school students to read. (I say force because I don't know anyone, even avid readers such as myself, who would choose to read this.) The book is violent (and yet without action), it is boring, most of the characters are unlikable (and you can't like them for their unlikableness like you can with some "villians"), and let me say that if I were Native American, I would be offended reading this book. For two reasons; first, the Native Americans in this book call themselves Indians -- where as it wasn't the NA's who coined that term but Columbus, -- and second, although this is a historical fact that shouldn't be ignored, I don't think we need to read fiction about people who think the NA's were savages and killed them like flies.If school is intended to encourage us to read and learn, I have no idea why they would choose a book like this. It makes books seem boring and unrelated to teenagers. I think they should choose books that are interesting -- give us a break from textbook historical fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting
Review: The Light in the Forest is an interesting book. It was suspenseful and detailed although it could have been a better ending. The 120 page-book was an interesting and important novel to learn because of it's definition of the early American Salad Bowl, formerly Melting Pot. I gave it 4 stars because it's ending could have been better.
Rating: 
Summary: soooooooooo sad
Review: This book was so sad! So many sad things were happening and you would think that in the end everything would even out but nooooooo. They just ended the book with the saddest ending that I have ever seen! My heart is still crying right now! This book was sad!
Rating: 
Summary: Sooooo boaring
Review: This was the worst book I ever had to read in school. It was boring from cover to cover. Don't read this book unless you want to be bored.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting view
Review: I thought it was kind of boring, but I did learn some stuff the indiands felt from their side. It was kind of interesting how at times I felt sorry for them and were on their side, but when the white people talked about how evil they are, I sometimes agreed with them too.
Rating:
Summary: An Absorbing, Intriguing Book
Review: This book was one of the best books I read all summer. It had a good plot, interesting characters and realistic history. In this story, a white boy is taken into an Indian family and is raised as an Indian boy. When he is made to live with his real parents, 'True Son' wants to keep his Indian habits. Raised as an Indian, True Son has a disdain for all whites; although he seems to take a strange liking to his younger brother. His younger brother seems to like the Indian ways, he wants to learn from his brother. He misses his Indian home and would stop at almost nothing to return back to it. True Son's cousin Half Arrow is his best friend. Even though Half Arrow is a real Indian, he treats True Son as a real cousin. Half Arrow loves his cousin. He even went into the white territory, where there was a chance that he could be caught and scalped, to free True Son of his white prison.
In True Sons white family everyone treated him fairly well, except for his Uncle. His Uncle was a anti-Indian fanatic. He hated everything that the Indians had taught True Son. True Sons' Uncle told True Son that Indians scalped women and children. True Son did not believe him. After the Indian warriors brought back a child's scalp he finally believed in some thing his uncle had said. Maybe he would have listened to more of what his Uncle said if his Uncle had not killed an Indian brother, and if his uncle had met an unfortunate end at the blade of an axe. In this time Indians occupied most of the US. The Indians were not happy with the whites, because they were slowly taking more and more land from the Indians. There was a small war between the Indians and the whites, including scalping and many surprise attacks and strange tricks of illusion. In the end True Son is not a real true son to the Indians. By betraying his Indian family he is forced to go on all alone. I enjoyed this book a lot. I stayed up as late as possible reading this book even over television. I believe people who like absorbing books would really enjoy this book. You really believe that you are living in the era of this book. The book describes the landscape, the living conditions, the clothes so well that you feel that you are there. In this book I believe that through the beginning and middle were very well thought out, but the end seemed less carefully planned. The beginning was very detailed about True Son's life, friends, and family. The detail was excellent. In the end, it seemed more like a 'blur' with action and no setting. It went from birds eye view, to a more emotional setting that can occur in any place and in any time period. . If you like serious and interesting books this is a book for you.
Rating:
Summary: too miserable!!
Review: i read this book to my two elementary school age boys. an interesting story but the end was ridiculous. i'm all for a realistic ending, but this was just too melodramatic and upsetting. i actually threw the book out rather than donate it...and that says a lot. we still read a lot of historical fiction books that have sad endings (and we enjoy them), but we use "the light in the forest" as a comparison. we say "at least it wasn't as sad as that indian book!"
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome Book!!!
Review: This was a great book. At first you may not find it interesting, but it's worth finishing. The book is full of adventure, and it's sort of a lesson to appreciate family. The ending is twisted and definately not expected, and really good! This book is well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Light in the Forest Review
Review: (...) Captured as a young boy , John, also known as True Son, has to learn the ways of the Lenni Lenape Indians. His Adopted father, Cuyloga, teaches him everything there is to know. But at the age of fifteen, his entire world comes crashing down.
It was just like any other day, except that a messenger reports the white people demand back all white captives. With no alternative, True Son is forced to be sent back to his original people, the whites. Now separated from all his family and best friend, Half Arrow, True Son must learn to adapt and live with his new family.
True Son’s Uncle Wilse doesn’t ever fully accept True Son into the family. Although True Son is always suspicious of his uncle Wilse for his tile, the leader of the “Paxton Boys”, a group people dedicated to fighting and killing Indians.
After many months of adapting to his new culture True Sons best friend, Half Arrow, comes bearing bad news. True Sons Indian cousin was shot and murdered by his uncles brigade, the Paxton Boys. After little thought, True Son decides to return to the Indians and make his uncle suffer for his great injustice by scalping him alive. With the help of half Arrow and a hatchet, the boys nearly succeed before they are chased off by True Sons biological father.
After the escape from the cultural prison of the white man, Half Arrow and True Son trek back to their Indian lands. When they finally arrive, warm greetings welcome them. But there is work that must be done. Thitpan, an Indian Brave of the Lenni Lenape, suggests that they go to war with the White nations, a majority of the war council agrees and it is done.
True son makes the suggestion of a surprise attack against a ship of white traders, the entire war council agrees. True Son would deceive the enemy by dressing in the clothes of the white man and wading in the middle of a river asking for help.
Due to great fortune a boat does sail by, True Son attracts it’s attention but can’t convince it to come close enough to shore for his Indian friends to attack it, thus shunning it away. Suspicious of True Sons inability to successfully deceive the enemy and his white skin, his fellow Indians decide to burn him alive and naked. But thanks to his fathers bidding, his life is spared.
Betrayed by two nations, True Son Is forced to spend the rest of his life in a state of pathetic exile. ********************************
This novel was only interesting at points. At certain times in the book, the author seemed to stumble in portraying a certain scene or developing a character. Or, the author would ramble on about a small over exaggerated infracture, frailty, or flaw that the white man possessed. But, when in a scene of action, the author had you at a point where you couldn’t begin to ponder putting the book down. His gripping scenes of Indian vs. Anglo was astounding.
In my opinion, this book is an excellent read for middle school students. It compels them in a series of historical events wound in to fit the guidelines of a fictional story. This book is challenging, but not an impossible read. Also, the vocabulary is something that all eighth graders can learn and relate to. The characters are easy to identify with, and students would enjoy reading further into the novel.
If I had to recommend a historical fiction book to a fellow colleague, I would put this book as my number one choice. It includes action, violence, drama and even the masterful art of suspense. If I had to rate this book on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the worst 10 being the best, I would give it an 8. This is so because of the authors ramblings at points and his condescending tone when he speaks of Anglo-Americans. But aside from that, I loved the book.
Rating:
Summary: TORN BETWEEN TWO FAMILIES
Review: This story is about a boy who at a young age goes from the whites to a new culture: Lenni Lenape Indians. He learns their customs until his white father comes to get him and take him where he belongs. He does not want to go but he travels his hard and long journey to his new father's house, (or should I say his old father's?) He does not like this new place because the people are mean, even his family. I liked this book but there was one thing that troubled me. I thought this book needed some more excitement to push it through some of the slower parts and help it flow.
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